Rupesh Samant

Panaji, May14: A new research has revealed that the tar balls that annually surface on Goa’s beaches are home for pathogens, that might be harmful to marine biota and eventually to the human beings through fish consumption.

Scientists from CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) has embarked on a three-year-long project sponsored by State Directorate of Science and Technology, that would unearth the mystery of micro-organisms present on the tar balls, which usually surface during pre-monsoon period.

Rakhee Khandeparkar, Senior Scientist working with CSIR-NIO’s Biological Oceanography division said that the kind of pathogens that are coming on the beaches due to tar balls is not good. “It is indirectly changing biota of marine waters, which might affect planktons, zooplanktons and thereby affecting fishes which we humans eat,” she said.

Khandeparkar said that the actual study on this aspect would be completed only in the year 2021, while the findings of the current time are from the preliminary studies.

CSIR-NIO scientists have been sampling water and sediments from the beaches like Vagator and Morjim in North Goa and Cansaulim and Betul in South Goa, which are the hotspots for tar ball arrivals from the sea. “We want to know what exactly is happening when Tar Balls surface on the coast that is why Sea water sample along with sediments was collected before tar balls surface, when tar balls are present and after they are cleared from the beaches. Preliminary study has reveals that the bacterial diversity changes a lot due to tar balls. What we see before tar balls entry is different from what we see when tar balls are present. The types of bacterias differ and mainly pathogens are increasing” she said.

She said that the research will confirm whether the increase in pathogens is due to tar balls or other aspects like terrestrial inputs. “Unless we come to the conclusion about pathogens we cannot say whether they are hazardous. But oil is there so on that micro organism grow. There are reports that they enrich on tar balls. They utilized oil as food. So it is harmful,” Khandeparkar added.